After being interrogated by his factory managers for losing an iPhone prototype, Sun Danyong jumped from the twelfth floor of his dormitory at 3:33 A.M., on July 16th. He left behind a poignant electronic trail that provides one of the most revealing views that I can remember into life in the factories of southern China: who works where, why, and in what conditions. Much of this remains unconfirmed, but the dramatic story contained in text messages, instant messages, and bulletin-board posts would never have been recorded ten years ago.

Short version: all of us, consumers, companies, everyone talks about improving human rights in China – but as long as we’re addicted to cheap consumer goods, we inevitably find ourselves complicit in these kinds of tragedies. Usually, though, we don’t hear about it.